Brake of railway vehicles



J. MCMAHON BRAKE '0F RAILWAY VEHICLES Filed Dec. 18, 1924 Feb. s, '1927,

I1 fu 4 Patented Feb.V l8, 1927.

res* PATENT* Fries-g? JOHN MCMAHQN, oEEo'roKoHU, WEsTronr, NEW ZEALAND; i .i

p BRAKE 0E RAILWAY VEHICLES.

Application led December 18,1924, Serial No. 756,318.

This invention relates to brakes used VonA railway vehicles and the like, and has `:tor its object the provision of improved braking apparatus adapted to be fitted to vehicles and to be set so that upon a string of the lat-V ter being'hauled or backed the brake of each vehicle is released, and so that immediately' haulage or backing ceases, each vehicle is caused to be braked, provision also being lmade for the manual operation of the brakes. A

According to the inventionbrake bands,

surrounding drums revolvable with the axles of the vehicle'wheels, are contracted or made to gri braking of t e vehicles, by placing under tension a rope or chain surrounding said brake bands, and connected with a sliding bar and sliding buffers, the latter project--V ing from the vehicle ends.

' Slacking of the rope or chain, to permit expansion of the brake bands, and the release of the drums, is permitted by movement of the sliding bar or by inward movement Vof 7 the sliding buiiers, the latter movement being caused either by the backing of a string Y of vehicles, during which time the buffers ot adjacent vehicles Contact with each other, or by the operation of toothedvwheels gearving with racks on the buffers, during haulv age of a string of vehicles, the toothed wheel at the front end of each vehicle `being given turning movement at the commencement or' In theaccompanying drawing, in conjunc- Y tion with/which the invention will befurv ther described;

Figure l is a longitudinal elevation "of, a vehiclel itted with the improved braking apparatus, Y

Figure 2 is a -plan view of the parts shown 'in Figure 1,

Figure VV3 is an elevation, Y

Figure 4 a sectional elevation,` and said drums and effect the lto operate,

Figure 5 a part plan view, ofthe means for manually operating the brake, and the means for manually releasing the brake;

Flgure 6 is a party perspective View of a brake band, and a ropeadapted to be tightened to contract said band on a drum, and

Figure l7V illustratesy a brake band sup-f` porting means. A drum 1 is axle 2 of the vehicle running wheels 3, each."

drum being provided with a flexible brake band 4, fittedl withv blocks 4a, or of any suit'- ableknown form, said band 4 being normally expanded under the action of a; spring 5 1n compression, surrounding a member 6 having an inverted U shaped cross section, and inserted in the ends of the band 4, or

blocks 4a. The member 6 contains slots 7` through which pass pins 8 for securing the "75.

member 6 in the band 4-or blocks 4u, said slots 7 while permitting the contraction and expansion of the' brake band preventing fthe latter from over expanding. 'f

The weight of each brake band is borne' by a loop 9 preferably of coiled spring"for mation, said loop 9 passing around or secured to a bar lOslidable in the underfr'ame 11 of the vehicle and also around a member 6 and the spring 5 .thereon,so that each drum 1 is thus relieved of the weight of its brake band.

The means for tightening or' contracting the brake bands 4 Yon the Ydrums 1 to effeet braking of the vehicle comprise a rope,

12 attached at its ends to buiers 13, slidablev in the end portions of the underframe 11, said rope 12 passing completely around and 14 for'vkeeping one portion of the Vrope 12 clear of the other portion there'otjandA also clear of the springs 5. l i

A turnbuckle 15 or vthe like is provided in the rope 12 to enable the latter to bead- @being attached at 12a to eachbrake ,band 4,

each of which is providel with a guide roller justed by being tightened or slackened off as Y may be desired. Y

A connection is made by a short section 23 of rope or the like from'near eachV end ofthe rope 12, to the bar 10 slidable `lengthways in the under frame 11, the pointot attachment of each ofV the sections 23 to the bar 10 being located between the axle 2, the band 4 of the drum 1 on which it is intended and the nearest end of the yvehicle, while the point of attachment of each section 23 to the rope 12 is on that portion ixed on and turns witheacli ,65

of the latter which passes downwards l,

it may be turned.V l

One of the handles 27 is formed with a tooth 28 capable of being engaged in arack 29 formed on a quadrant shapedplate 30 carried by a rod 31 slidable across the yunderframe 11, said plate `being lrigidly secured onthe rod 31 which is prevented from turning by being formed with a keyway 32 therein, intovwhich projects akey piece 33 rigidly Vsecured to the underframe 11.

'Additional security is giventlie plate 30 against turningmovement pins 34; piojectiiig from the underfraine 11, and `which vpass through holes 30u and the plate 30. l

vThe *plateA 30 is kept pressed outwards from the underframe 11 so as to Yhold the rack 29 -in a position wherein the tooth- 28.

ofthe hfa1idle27'can, readily engage therewith on the latter being turned `or swung upwards', bymeans of springs in tension,

the latter being attached at vone end to lugs 36 on the rod 31, and at the other end to the underframe 11.

` The rod 31 has at one end a push handle 3T and at the other end a loop handle 38 by either of which it may be moved to disengage thel rack `29,ffrom the tooth 28, of the handle 27, the push handle 37 vbeing at theV -sa-me, side of the vehicle as the rack 29.

At each end the baar 10 contains va hole 39, in which can be inserted a Vpin 1Q con'- Y nected by a chain 41 to the vehicle.

Tension springs 16 one at each side of each fbuffer 13 are attached at one end to tlie inner ends of the buffers and at their otherends to the end portions ,of the frame 11, and with the sliding bar 10 positioned .so that thev pinion 26 isvin the centre of the rack 25,V

said springs 16 are without tension, there.

beingv notension on the rope 12,' while the brake bands 4 are expanded by their springs 5 and do not grip the drums 1.;

Each bulfer 13 -is provided with a rack 17 withfwhich meshes a toothed wheel 18 loosely mounted on `a shaft -19 supported across the underframe 11, saidwheel 18 having secured thereto, so as to turn therewith one end of an arm 2O the latterV when at the y front end ofthe vehicle of a string of vehicles, having pivotally .connected toV its fore ward end, one end of a rod or flexible cou-l pling 21 the otherend of -which is adapted to be attached to the rearvend o f the pre cedingV vehicle. V l Y With a number of vehicles coupled to.-

getherand about to be hauled in the direc-v tion indicated by the arrow in Figure 1 each vehicle kis first manually braked by operating a handle 27 so as to cause the pinion 26 vand rack. 25 to move the bar 10 rearwards or` in the reversel direction, to that in which the vehicle is to travel, following which the 'pin 40 at the rear of the vehicle is inserted in the hole 39 in the rear end of the bar 10.

Byjmoving the bar 10 in the direction mentioned the section 23 of rope at the rear of the vehicle is put under tension where-b)7 therope 12 is tightened, or all slack thereinA` is taken up, and the brake bands 4: are

caused to grip the drums Y1, the'section 23 of" rope at the front end of the vehicle, and the springs 16 at the rear end thereof hanging loose, Vwhile the springs 16 at the front yend of the vehicle expanded.

The coupling of the vehicles together, and

their connection to each other by the rodsVV 21, are such that on commencing'V to haul a string of stationary vehicles on each of which the brake bands t are gripping the drunisl, as atoresaid, each rod V21 is are drawn taut, but are notl y pulled forwards by the preceding vehicle'be`V fore the draught is transmitted by the usual couplings between the vehicles, to the following vehicle, with the i'esulvt that the toothed wheel 18 at the front end of yeach vehicle is operated to draw or move inwards Y the front buffer 13 of said vehicle and thus slacken the rope 12'and permit expansion of the brakel bands 4. under the action of the springs 5 before the vehicle commences to .move forward, the rods 21 being kept pulled lforward and the rope 12 kept slack, as long Y as draught is maintainedon the vehicles.

As Asoon as actual draught or haulage of L the vehicle ceases, the front springs 16 which were expanded by the inward movement of the front buifers 13 assert themselves or contract and force said bufiers`13 outwards causing' the ropes 12 to be again tightened, and the brake bands i toV again grip the drums 1 and so.y brake the vehicles.

Upon commencing to back a string Vof vehicles, the buffers 13 of adjacent vehicles come into-contact with each otherrandare pushed inwards, causing the ropes V12 to slackenv thereby' permitting the brake bands et .to expand and release the drums, the

butfersbeing kept in their in positions as` y long as back pressure is applied by one vehicle to another.

Chains'22 are provided between the immer ends of the buffers 13 and the under-frame f 11, to limit inward movement ofthe buffers and prevent straining'ofthe springs 16.

To release the brake by hand, the rod 31 is operated either by pushing the handle37,

or by pulling the handle 38, in order toy cause the rack 29 to mfove inwards and become disengaged from the tooth 28 of the handle 27 at the same side of the vehicle as said rack, whereupon the springs 16 and 5, return the bar 10, rope 12 and brakey bands 4, to their neutral positions.

That I do claim and desire to obtain by Letters Patent ,of the United States of America is 1. Vehicle braking means comprising drums revoluble with the vehicle axles, brake bands mountedlon the drum, members atnthe ends of the v'e-hicle;l"a rope encircling said bands and having its ends connected to said members, a sliding bar connected to said rope; hand operated means for imparting movement to said bar, in order to tighten the rope, and effect braking of the vehicle; and means for retaining said bar in its brake applying position.

2. Vehicle braking means comprising drums revoluble with the vehicle axles,

Vbrake bands mounted on the drum, a rope ated means for imparting movement tosaid bar in order to tighten the rope and effect the braking of the vehicle; and means for retaining said bar in its brake applying position. Y

3. Vehicle braking means, according to claim 2, wherein the sliding members are provided with racks, toothed wheels meshing with said racks and provided with arms, and a flexible connection between the arm at the front of the vehicle and the preceding vehicle so that forward movement of the latter causes the front sliding member to be moved inwards against the action of the springs connected thereto and so slacken Y th-e rope, and allow the brake bands to release their grip of the drums.

4. Vehicle braking means, according to claim 2, wherein the sliding end members, project from the vehicle at each end, so that upon a string of vehicles being backed, said end members contact with each other, and are forced inwards against the action' of their springs, thereby slacking the rope, and allowing the brake bands, to release their grip of the drums.

5. Vehicle braking means according to claim 1 wherein the means forl operating the sliding bar, consist of a rack on said bar, a cross shaft; the pinion or a cross shaft meshing with said rack, and handles on said cross shaft. i

6. Vehicle braking means according to claim 1 wherein a rack is provided on said sliding bar; a cross shaft, a pinion on said cross shaft meshing with said rack; a handle at each end of said shaft; a cross rod mov-Y able endways through the vehicle underframe and prevented from turning therein; a handle at each end of the cross rod; ano-ther rack carried with the cross rod, a tooth on one end of the pinion shaft and engageable with the last mentioned rack,

operating handles; and springs acting onl said cross rod for normallyv holding the rack thereon in position lfor engagement with the handle with the tooth thereon.

7. Vehicle braking means, vaccording to claim 1, wherein short sections of rope are provided for connecting the sliding-bar with the rope encircling the brake bands.

8. Vehicle braking means, according to claims l1, wherein the sliding bar, is provided at its ends with Vholes and pins envgag-eable with the holes.

Si. Vehicle braking means according to claim 1, wherem'slotted members are provided for connecting the ends of the brake bands and springs placed on said slotted members for normally expanding said brake bands. Y

10. Vehicle braking means, according to claim 1, wherein guide rollers are mounted on the brake bands for the rope and wherein hooked members are suspended from said sliding bar for supporting said brake ban-ds. 1n testimony whereof have affixed my signature.

JOHN MOMAHON. 

